


From Eternal Fire

by etoilecourageuse



Series: She's Invincible [2]
Category: Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Collection: Purimgifts Day 2, F/F, Femslash, Fire, Insanity, Master & Servant, Obsession, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-24
Updated: 2016-03-24
Packaged: 2018-05-27 17:14:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6292981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etoilecourageuse/pseuds/etoilecourageuse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Manderley was a ruin. Rebecca was calling for her Danny and she had long known that it was time, had long realised that her place was beside her mistress, whether in life or in death.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From Eternal Fire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kastaka](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kastaka/gifts).



> I actually do love the uncertainty about Mrs Danvers' fate the book provides us with, but decided to start from the BBC movie ending there - which causes my heart to break for poor Danny. It's also a totally firm part of my headcanon that she was irrevocably in love with Rebecca, whether unrequited or not is probably only known to the mistress herself...

Manderley was a ruin. The flames had taken hold of the furnishing in several rooms within minutes, had taken hold of everything that had once been so precious of her mistress, and to her and they would destroy, destroy what that foolish girl had touched, destroy what in these past months she had so insolently demanded to be her property when it truth it would only belong to _her_ … It all belonged to her. 

She could feel the heat so close, could hear the beautiful crackling noise of burning wood, took a deep breath to fully take in the smell of smoke, to fully give herself to the fire and laughed, laughed with such relief... Nobody would ever again claim Manderley to be their own, nobody but Rebecca herself, Rebecca whose spirit had spoken to her through the wind, who had lead her to fulfil the deed and would never leave her, never… Manderley was hers, and hers alone. 

No matter about the whispers, the insistences, no matter about what they insisted to be the truth, Mrs Danvers knew better, knew that her mistress would never have betrayed her, that she had not have been, could not possibly have been ill as otherwise she would have entrusted herself to her, as otherwise she would have told her, her of all people… Hadn’t they loved each other? Hadn’t they so loved each other, both taunting the men who so foolishly attempted to conquer their hearts and turning their backs to them once they had become useless? Hadn’t they loved each other, been so much more than mistress and servant, hadn’t they been confidantes? It was ridiculous… It was ridiculous to believe that Rebecca would have kept her silence, even towards her, ridiculous… So what else could it be but another despairing attempt Maxim de Winter to assume control of what lay so far beyond his power? 

Invincible. She was invincible… Death had not defeated her mistress, was incapable of defeating her as nothing would ever triumph over her, nothing at all… Couldn’t they feel her, too? Couldn’t they hear her still, couldn’t they feel her spirit so close? She was invincible… And she called. Rebecca called for her servant to join her at last, called for them to be united once more, as she required her presence and her husband was no longer of worth, no longer of use to her. 

She was calling… Rebecca was calling for her Danny and she had long known that it was time, time for her to leave this world and to take with her what was rightfully her mistress’s, had long realised that her place was beside her, whether in life or in death. She had never valued her life enough to be afraid of dying, had always been afraid of growing old, so much like Rebecca herself, and would gladly go as there was nothing left to keep her on this earth, as she knew that her mistress was waiting for her in a better place… A place where they needn’t hide, where no man would ever claim his presumable right to touch them, where they would be safe… 

Manderley was a ruin. She could hear the screams from outside, could hear Frith’s voice from far away, yelling orders to quench the fire, and to save what he believed could be saved… But it was too late. The flames were not to be tamed, would have long destroyed everything by the time they found themselves capable of entering the house, there was nothing left to be saved… It was too late. 

Wasn’t it destiny? Wasn’t it destiny for Danny to perish within the fire when it had been water to claim Rebecca’s life, her body, but never her spirit, never her soul? Wasn’t it destiny that they both were to leave this world in such a manner, merely a proof that they could not exist without each other? 

She had ensured that they would not find her, had left behind trails that lead towards her escape, her disappearance as soon as she had noticed the fire and locked the doors to Rebecca’s bedroom, watching the key slowly melt within the heat. They would not find her… Of course they wouldn’t, would not look for her as they’d rather save themselves, as they’d believe her to be long gone… And it was for the best. It all was for the best. 

Rebecca was calling… She was calling for her, louder and louder with every minute passing, was calling out her name… And couldn’t she see her? Couldn’t Mrs Danvers see her right there before her as she closed her eyes, the smoke causing tears to stream down her cheeks, couldn’t she nearly feel her as she reached out her arm, so desperate to touch her?

How it had been since she had touched her… How long it had been since she had felt her skin upon hers except in her dreams, how long it had been… But soon, it would be over. Soon they would be reunited at last and hadn’t she awaited the moment day by day and night by night since her mistress had left this world? Hadn’t she been so eager to join her, counting the hours until Rebecca would call for her? She had known… Danny had always known that one day she would call for her, had been convinced that she would wait for her in afterlife and merely bide the appropriate moment to call for her and she had been right… Of course she had been right… 

Manderley was a ruin. But she had merely done what was expected of her, had merely ensured that it would remain within her control until the end, that they would emerge victorious from what had developed into a war, and they had, they had emerged victorious, had triumphed over the girl, triumphed over Maxim de Winter… No matter what game she were to play, Rebecca would always win, whether in life or in death, had carried out her final move through her, through her most faithful servant… They had triumphed. Together they had triumphed, and together they would conquer anything, even death.

**Author's Note:**

>  
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>   
> 


End file.
